https://milnewsca.wordpress.com Tidbits from Both Sides of the Fight Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:49:09 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ https://secure.gravatar.com/blavatar/a36b6089b3b9695958bef092eb2c46ee?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fs-ssl.wordpress.com%2Fi%2Fbuttonw-com.png https://milnewsca.wordpress.com https://milnewsca.wordpress.com/2012/02/01/news-011245utc-feb-12/ https://milnewsca.wordpress.com/2012/02/01/news-011245utc-feb-12/#comments Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:45:35 +0000 milnewsca http://milnewsca.wordpress.com/?p=8778 ]]>

Syria  “The visa section at Canada’s embassy in Damascus has been closed and diplomats are being withdrawn as violence continues to escalate in Syria, the foreign affairs department said Tuesday. That means upwards of 4,700 Canadians believed to be still in the Middle East country now will have a harder time escaping as the situation on the ground continues to spin out of control. “Due to the growing instability in Syria, Canada has reduced its diplomatic staff in Syria to core personnel only,” Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said in a statement, adding that Syrian authorities had been imposing travel restrictions on Canadian diplomats. The Canadian Embassy will remain open and provide limited service, the department said, while an honorary consulate is still operating in Aleppo. However, visas to Canada will now be issued from offices in Lebanon and Turkey ….”

“Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas delivered a message to Canada this week: Now that you are Israel’s best friend, use your relationship to push the country into substantive peace talks. In two hours of talks with Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and Finance Minister Jim Flaherty in Ramallah, Mr. Abbas didn’t expect to change the Harper government’s staunch support for Israel, according to Majdi al-Khaldi, an adviser to Mr. Abbas who attended the meetings. Instead, Mr. Abbas challenged Canada to use its new tight-knit ties to put pressure on Israel ….”

HMCS Charlottetown hits the Med’  “The Strait of Gibraltar was a magnificent sight as it stretched out before the bow of HMCS Charlottetown. The moon rode high in the sky, highlighting the gentle profile of Africa to starboard and the curves of Europe to port. Lights from shore and other vessels in the Strait illuminated the water. And somewhere along her way, HMCS Charlottetown entered the Mediterranean Sea and crossed the boundary of the NATO Joint Operational Area. At that moment, the Halifax-based frigate officially became part of the task force of Operation ACTIVE ENDEAVOUR, the NATO counter-terrorism mission in the Mediterreanean Sea. From Gibraltar, HMCS Charlottetown continued east to the naval base in Taranto, Italy, where, on 24 January, she would join the NATO surface fleet. During this deployment — conducted by the Canadian Forces under Operation METRIC— Charlottetown will patrol her area of responsibility in the Mediterranean Sea to detect, deter, and protect against terrorist activity ….”

Afghanistan (1)  “The Canadian Forces spent $2.4 million last year on training at a facility run by Xe Services, the U.S. private security company formerly known as Blackwater. The company and its training facility were used to teach precision shooting and defensive driving, as well as VIP escort requirements and close quarter combat techniques, according to documents tabled Monday in the House of Commons. It appears the training provided by Xe instructors was for precision shooting and defensive driving. The documents note much of the training in VIP escorting and close quarter combat was done by CF instructors and standards personnel. Special forces members also had precision shooting and defensive driving training at the facility, although for operational security reasons the government wouldn’t say how many trained there. The Department of National Defence made 14 call-ups in 2011 against a standing offer arrangement with Xe, for a total of $567,729, the documents say. Public Works, which is in charge of federal procurement, made another six call-ups and awarded one contract, spending $1,819,023.48. The total spent between the two departments in 2011 was $2,396,346.86 ….”

Afghanistan (2)  Trenton’s plane, chopper techs busy “de-Afghaning” airframes.  “The country’s largest air base benefits from Cpl. Brittany Purchon’s painstaking paint work. And the volume of that workload for Purchon and her co-workers just went through the roof now that aircraft are coming home from a war zone. With the recent conclusion of the Canadian Forces’ 10-year mission in Afghanistan, came busy times for Royal Canadian Air Forces’ aircraft structures technicians (ACS) like Purchon at Aerospace and Telecommunications Engineering Support Squadron’s (ATESS) refinishing shop. From cleaning, refinishing, and entirely re-painting Griffon CH-416 helicopters to refurbishing pieces of equipment that were first manufactured in-house for military operations in Afghanistan, almost everything gets a second life at the wing’s refinishing shop. For the last eight weeks, Purchon — along with Cpl. Dean Lord, an ACS tech with the 424 Transport Search and Rescue Sqn., and six others out of the 48 posted with ATESS — has been working meticulously on refinishing a Griffon CH-416 helicopter that was used by the army in Afghanistan ….”

Afghanistan (3)  A statement in the House of Commons reminding us how much still has to be done in Afghanistan.  “Mr. Speaker, recently there have been reports that a young woman in Afghanistan was murdered by her own family simply for giving birth to a baby girl. All too often, the women in Afghanistan pay a severe price simply for being women. Their most basic rights are overlooked, neglected and abused. That is why Canada supports a range of projects in Afghanistan. We want to strengthen the rights of women and girls, make it easier for them to access education and health care, encourage their political involvement and enhance the economic opportunities available to them. On behalf of all Canadians, this government is maintaining our commitment to make a difference in the lives of women and girls in Afghanistan.”

Way Up North  “Officials are meeting in Iqaluit this week to talk about how all parties involved responded to the tragic plane crash near Resolute, Nunavut, in August. Nunavut RCMP organized the meeting. Representatives from Transport Canada, the military’s Joint Task Force North, northern airlines, and Nunavut’s chief coroner were there for the two-day debrief. The purpose is to discuss best practices from the joint response the agencies took immediately following the crash. “We mustn’t forget about the vastness, ruggedness and the challenges of the North when an incident such as this one unfolds and on how all of our responses materialize,” he said. McVarnock said the participants will come up with a list of recommendations on how to improve their ability to respond to a similar event in the future ….”

An English professor worries about the long-term usefulness to train university students in military skills via the Canadian Officer Training Corps (COTC) – if it ever comes back.  “…. the point of a revived COTC would not be train undergraduates to be officers per se, but to give them some military experience and teach them the values that come along with military training. And that is the real problem I have with this idea. Military training builds discipline, fitness, and teamwork. But so does, say, dance, and there is no call for a national dance program. Before you object that dance is trivial compared to the military, ask yourself this: would you rather live in a world where no one danced, or a world where no one fought wars? Of course, military service, when performed with honour and dignity, is, at this moment in history, something to be proud of. But we should not fall into the easy, self-congratulatory patriotism that equates all things military with all things good. Service in uniform is a worthy mode of service, but it is not synonymous with “the idea of service itself” as (some would have) it. We need military officers. For now. But we should not let that practical reality blind us to the fact that if we are looking in the very long term, we ought to be working towards a world where we have no need of armies or commanders to lead them. Presuming that military training is an unambiguous benefit for any student is not a good place to start.”

What’s Canada Buying? (1)  A new “virtual terrain board” (electronic sandbox?) for night vision goggle training at 17 Wing Winnipeg and “document cleansing” software for getting rid of secret stuff before sharing.

What’s Canada Buying (2)  Trade show for potential sales to Ottawa.  “On Thursday, February 9, 2012 at the Delta Beausejour, Moncton, NB, join Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) / Office of Small and Medium Enterprises (OSME) to learn more about the Canadian Innovation Commercialization Program and the opportunities to do business with the Government of Canada.  There is NO COST to attend this event but registration is mandatory. The Canadian Innovation Commercialization Program (CICP) is a $40 million procurement program, launched as part of the Government of Canada’s commitment to promote Canada’s economic growth as announced in Budget 2010. These events will provide the opportunity for companies to showcase their innovative goods and services to federal departments, as well as allow federal departments to share information on their operations and priorities, and any challenges or needs they are experiencing in program delivery ….”

F-35 Tug o’ War (1)  Q&A from the House of Commons yesterday ….  “Ms. Christine Moore (Abitibi—Témiscamingue, NDP): Mr. Speaker, the F-35 program is in free fall. We have learned that a defect in the pilots’ parachutes is grounding some of the aircraft and delaying test flights once again. Moreover, the F-35s are having trouble achieving the transonic acceleration objectives. This file is in need of a qualified pilot, and Canadians do not have a parachute. Will the government admit that, unless we make an emergency landing, the F-35 program is going to crash and burn?  Hon. Julian Fantino (Associate Minister of National Defence, CPC): Mr. Speaker, that is sheer nonsense. A problem was detected in the way the parachutes were packed. The problem is being fixed. I am told that this will not affect the program in the least. It is fear-mongering. It is more of the same. It is rhetoric.”

F-35 Tug o’ War (2)  …. as well as a bit of a reminder about who got the F-35 ball rolling in the first place.  “Hon. John McKay (Scarborough—Guildwood, Lib.):  Mr. Speaker, India just held an open and transparent competition for its next generation of fighter jets. Here is what a country gets when it holds an open and transparent competition: one, it gets a state-of-the-art jet to meet its own mission needs; two, it gets the best possible jet at the best possible price; and three, it gets a huge boost to a brand new aerospace industry.  Why is the government so afraid of an open and transparent competition?   Hon. Julian Fantino (Associate Minister of National Defence, CPC):  Mr. Speaker, there was a very significant competition. However, the rhetoric from the member opposite is irrefutable evidence of his party’s hypocrisy.  The Liberals initiated Canada’s involvement in the Joint Strike Fighter program in 1997 and in so doing committed $100 million to get it started. Now they have cold feet and want to turn their backs on our men and women in the military and abandon a tool that is critically necessary to the Canadian military.”

Not much to say about the Canada-U.S. perimeter security deal yet. “The first batch of dozens of deadlines in the Canada-United States perimeter security plan has come and gone, with neither government responding to questions of progress by press time. The border action plan announced in December notes that by Jan. 31 the two governments would “determine the way ahead” on how to share intelligence related to national security. It is the first milestone in the multi-year Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness Action Plan that will, among many other things, harmonize much of how Canada and the US share information and evidence between their police forces and intelligence agencies. The plan, which lays out a series of deadlines over the next few years, notes that bureaucrats should already be hammering away at a new inventory that will show where Prime Minister Stephen Harper and US President Barack Obama need to plug security holes in order to begin building an impenetrable fortress. But by press time neither the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade nor the US Department of Homeland Security were able to answer any questions about progress, or whether the government had met its deadline ….”

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Naval Espionage Case  MORE Russian… staff rotations.  “CTV News has learned that two more Russian diplomats have left Canada in the wake of an espionage scandal involving a junior Canadian naval officer. Sources say a defence attaché in Ottawa and a consulate worker in Toronto have been sent back to Russia. The Russian embassy says they left simply because their contracts had ended ….”

Afghanistan (1)  “Canada intends to keep military trainers in Afghanistan until 2014, according to Defence Minister Peter MacKay, despite France’s announcement last week that it would bring home all its troops a year earlier than planned in 2013. The controversial French decision, which threatens to divide NATO over the pace and scope of the alliance’s troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, was made only days after four of its military trainers were murdered by an Afghan soldier they had been instructing. Canada was also preparing contingency plans in case the situation worsens in Syria or in case a war involving Iran erupts over its nuclear program. The Assad government has been using lethal violence to suppress protesters in Syria and Prime Minister Stephen Harper has called Iran’s nuclear program the greatest threat to world peace today. In a marked shift of tone from a few years ago, when he and other government ministers were sharply critical of some European countries for not contributing combat forces in Afghanistan, MacKay said, “We are grateful to France and other countries” involved in NATO operations there. The minister said he was “mindful” of the casualties that France had suffered recently and that “every country must make its own decisions according to its own circumstances.” Speaking about the 925 Canadian trainers still in Afghanistan, MacKay said, “The ground is shifting a bit on some countries’ commitment . . . but we are very solid in our commitment to this through 2014.” ….”

Afghanistan (2)  “A Canadian soldier who served in Afghanistan says he received a threatening note, written by someone working at Kandahar Airfield, because he is gay. Warrant Officer Andrew McLean, who had tried to hide his sexual orientation, told CBC News that he found the letter on his work station in September, during his 4½-month tour of duty in Kandahar. “It said, ‘You’re gay. Because of this, minus-2′ … that’s metric [for] six feet, 6½ feet under?” McLean said in an interview from Winnipeg, where he recently took part in the Rick Hansen Relay ….”

What’s Canada Buying? (1)  “Boeing has selected three Canadian firms to receive the first group of work packages for in-service support of 15 Boeing CH-47F Chinook helicopters, designated CH-147F for the Canadian Forces. Following an open competition, Boeing chose the following suppliers: L-3 Communications MAS (Mirabel, Quebec): technical publications; Raytheon Canada Limited (Calgary, Alberta): supply chain support; L-3 Electronic Systems (Enfield, Nova Scotia): logistics support analysis. “Boeing is working with companies across Canada to ensure the right infrastructure is in place to support the Canadian Forces’ CH-147F fleet,” said Jim O’Neill, vice president and general manager, Boeing Integrated Logistics. “We will support the operational readiness of these Chinooks while managing overall life-cycle cost and providing long-term opportunities for the Canadian aerospace industry and workforce.” ….”  More on this here.

What’s Canada Buying (2)  Wanted: “Integrated Position Keeping Systems (IPKS) in ten (10) of the KINGSTON Class ships” and UAV chopper trailers for DRDC Suffield.

Way Up North  New boss for CFS Alert

F-35 Tug o’ War (1)  Associate Minister Fantino’s latest from Question Period:  “…. our Royal Canadian Air Force has flown CF-18s for 30 years. We are working with our allies to replace our aging aircraft with new state of the art F-35s, which will protect international stability for decades to come. Australia faces an immediate challenge in replacing older aircraft much sooner, as we have been doing. We will continue to closely monitor the international development of the F-35 and its capabilities for the Canadian Forces …. Our government is committed to getting the best equipment for our Canadian Forces at the best price for Canadians with the best benefits for Canadian companies and Canadian workers. Canada’s participation in the development of the F-35, along with our closest allies, ensures that the Canadian Forces will have the best equipment to achieve mission success …. we welcome the announcement by the United States, which confirms its commitment to the multinational Joint Strike Fighter. Canada remains committed to the development of the new state-of-the-art aircraft that our brave men and women agree will give them the best probability of mission success well into the 21st century. We continue to monitor the progress of the multinational Joint Strike Fighter program closely and exercise responsible stewardship of taxpayer money.”

F-25 Tug o’ War (2)  Ceasefire.ca with more of its usual criticism

F-35 Tug o’ War (3)  Aussies taking a new look at their buy?

Canadian, Brit wounded warriors spend time together at Whistler.  “A new world of possibility is in store for a group of wounded and injured military personnel who arrived in Whistler on Sunday (Jan. 22) for an eight-day program designed to help them return to an active life. The program introduces eight Canadian and eight British service personnel with a range of physical and psychological injuries to adaptive winter sports in Whistler, with several of Canada’s Paralympic heroes on hand offering advice and encouragement. “There’s a lot of excitement and anticipation about trying new things, challenging the perceptions of others and also more importantly challenging their own perceptions about what they can and can’t do with the injuries that they have,” Maj. (Retd) Martin Colclough told The Question. “It’s all about gaining more self-reliance and… there’s a huge confidence-building element.” Colclough, who is leading the British group, is with Battle Back, a British military initiative that uses adaptive adventure training and sports to help men and women seriously wounded in service adjust to their new physical challenges. The Canadian group, Solider On, is managed by the Canadian Forces Personnel and Family Support Services and likewise provides opportunities for ill or injured Canadian Forces personnel to get active ….”

A reminder:  The Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and Canada’s constitution, guarantees the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty.  “A Canadian Forces member stationed at 4 Wing Cold Lake has had one count of making child pornography added to a list of five other sexual assault and child-porn related charges he is currently facing. Technology and Internet Crimes Unit special Crown prosecutor Cheryl Schlecker notified the court of the additional charge before the accused’s bail hearing on Jan. 25. Schlecker also made submissions to the court opposing the accused’s request for bail. After hearing submissions at the bail hearing from both the Crown and defence attorney Leighton Grey, Judge Kathleen Williams reserved her decision until Feb. 9. The Crown prosecutor also asked for, and was granted, a ban on the publication of the name of the individual who first contacted the RCMP with the information that led to the investigation ….”

“Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty journeyed to the West Bank on Monday to beard the Palestinian lions in their den. Over lunch with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, then later with Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and Foreign Minister Riad Maliki, the Ottawa tag-team went out of its way to impress upon the Palestinian leadership that it should abandon its efforts to obtain United Nations recognition and return to the negotiating table with Israel “without preconditions.” ….”

Some ideas on how to deal with Iran.  “…. First, Canadian sanctions can be tightened to intensify pressure on the Iranian economy and weaken the regime. The rial recently hit an all-time low against the dollar, and rampant inflation and high unemployment render the government vulnerable …. Second, we need to do more to stop the bloodshed in Syria. This is important not only because thousands of civilians have been killed in the last year at the hands of a murderous regime. It is important also as part of our response to confronting the Iranian threat. Syria is Iran’s greatest regional ally and strategic asset, and the collapse of the al-Assad dynasty would be a blow to Iran’s reach …. Third, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) must be designated as a terrorist entity in Canada. This measure can be taken unilaterally, and would have a real impact on the ability of the IRGC to finance and train terrorist groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, and al-Qaeda; to torture and murder its own citizens; and to participate in business activities that financially benefit the regime ….”

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Afghanistan (1)  “The commander of the Canadian army says he doubts the international community will have the cash or the political stomach after 2014 to sustain the sprawling Afghan security force being trained by NATO allies. Lt.-Gen. Peter Devlin, the chief of land staff, recently returned from Kabul where roughly 950 Canadians have settled in for a three-year stint under the newly-established training mission. Some of the questions on his mind during a round of meetings with NATO commanders involved whether the Afghan government will have the means of paying for an army and a police force that is expected to top out at 352,000 members. Devlin also wondered if the perceived threat from Taliban insurgents required building a force of that size. Current estimates from the country’s defence minister, Abdul Rahim Wardak, see the Afghans spending over $6.2 billion a year to pay and equip their forces. That’s in a country where the budget of the entire federal treasury is $4 billion much of that foreign aid. Devlin, who commanded NATO’s multi-national brigade in Kabul in 2003-04, said the shortfall needs to be recognized. “Is the international community willing to pay for that?” he asked, rhetorically, in a recent interview with The Canadian Press. “And I’m unsure they will be able to pay for that …. It’s my sense.” ….”

Afghanistan (2)  Ooopsie….  “A Canadian Forces lieutenant-colonel will face a court martial in Gatineau next month in connection with the accidental firing of a rifle at Kabul International Airport. Lt.-Col. Gilles Fortin is the second senior officer to be charged with mishandling a firearm while in Afghanistan …. Lt.-Col. Fortin, a signals officer, was in Kabul last September as part of his work with NATO’s Joint Warfare Centre. A member of the centre’s joint training division, Fortin helped prepare incoming staff officers to take over jobs at ISAF headquarters in Kabul. Military prosecutors allege that on Sept. 1 last year, Fortin accidentally fired one round from his 9mm pistol at Kabul International Airport. He is charged with one count of neglect to the prejudice of good order and discipline, an offence under the National Defence Act ….”

What’s Canada Buying?  Someone to train troops in martial arts at CFB Borden – more details here (PDF)

Mark Collins on why the Coast Guard’s 50th anniversary may not be its best.

Way Up North  “The icebreaker at the heart of Canada’s premier Arctic science program has been pulled from service, leaving researchers scrambling to find other ships to take them to the North. The bright red Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker Amundsen has become a familiar sight cruising the Arctic. It is a floating home and laboratory for researchers and students studying everything from Inuit health to the transformation underway in the Arctic environment. The ship is also to be featured on Canada’s new $50 bill. But it is now docked in Trois-Rivieres, Que., with four of its six engines “non-operational,” and in need of repairs expected to cost several million dollars and take at least a year. “Numerous repair scenarios are now being considered, but in all cases, the ship will be non-operational until late 2012 or early 2013,” Martin Fortier, executive director of ArcticNet, said in a memo recently sent to scientists who planned to use the ship this year ….”

Omar Khadr, back in (at least some of) the headlines thanks to a new book coming out.  “In a revealing new book, The Enemy Within, the Sun’s Ezra Levant brings Omar Khadr’s story back into the public eye. Having completed his U.S. sentence in October 2011, Omar Khadr could return to Canada at any time. He may well be released, thanks to a lenient system that will likely credit him for the time he has served awaiting trial in Guantanamo Bay. With Parliament back in session, Levant brings his razor-sharp perspective to bear on a story that is vital to our notions of citizenship and justice, and to our national security ….”

‘As a Cold War-era fighter pilot, one of Chris Hadfield’s jobs was to intercept Soviet bombers nearing Canadian airspace to test North American air defences. Now, some of his best friends are Russian, the former Canadian Forces pilot and astronaut said. For a few years, the Sarnia native has been training to co-pilot the Russian Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station with the flight’s Russian commander, Roman Romanenko. “We really respect one another. And, as astronauts, we understand the historical significance of what we are doing: we are leaving Earth as a species,” said Hadfield. The flight’s three-person crew, which includes NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn, will depart in November for the International Space Station, where they’ll live for six months as part of Expedition 34/35. Hadfield will take command of the station in March 2013, when American Commander Kevin Ford returns to Earth in a Soyuz. And, if all goes to plan, Hadfield will return in May 2013, landing on the steppe of Kazakhstan ….”

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Way Up North  “Soldiers have begun setting up a base camp just outside Yellowknife for Exercise Arctic Ram, which starts Feb. 14. The Canadian Forces have taken over part of the sand pits off Highway 3, a popular recreational area for Yellowknifers. An advance party of 60 soldiers drove from Edmonton, with stops in Peace River, Alta., and Hay River, N.W.T., and another 210 are expected over the weekend to set up support for the 1,500 military personnel that will be in the Tlicho region next month. “We’re setting up the work areas for when the main group comes in and we’re able to supply them with food and accommodations,” said Master Warrant Officer Douglas Pettie, sergeant major for the camp and the exercise’s Forward Support Group. “The main basis of this exercise is to test our men and equipment and our clothing in the north, because we’re normally in a much more southern wintertime climate, and it’s definitely very cold here” ….”

“In spite of ongoing assurances from Veterans Affairs that all veterans are properly cared for, veteran hospitals, and the generous suite of medical and holistic services they offer, remain closed to all veterans who joined after the Korean War. Instead, soldiers who joined the military after 1953, and are suffering from a service-related disability, or are simply in need of long-term care, are relegated to provincial health care, with the option of applying to Veterans Affairs Canada for any additional care to be delivered through the provincial system. It’s a two-tiered system that has veterans affairs advocates, including retired air force captain Sean Bruyea, pushing for changes that would allow all veterans access the same care. “All World War II veterans, whether they served two years in the front line, six months back home handing out army boots, or even two days in England un-crating Spam, were, and are, entitled to access to long-term care at veteran hospitals,” said Bruyea, who was released from the Canadian Forces mainly as a result of combat stress associated with serving in the first Gulf War. “Shouldn’t those who served in the field hospitals of the Gulf War, the Medak pocket of the former Yugoslavia and the hostile hills around Kandahar deserve the same assistance in both young and old age?” Bruyea asked ….”

Terry Glavin about why Canada should be careful about wanting to get too close to China and the PM’s,  “…. unexplained and sudden embrace of a corporate entity run by the Chinese Communist Party that serves as the guarantor of Omar al-Bashir’s regime in Khartoum, the bottomless overdraft in Bashar al-Assad’s bank account in Damascus, and the specific means by which Tehran’s Khomeinists are evading the West’s sanctions and double-daring us into a war ….”

“Two federal ministers have put up a “not welcome” sign for members of Hamas, a banned terrorist group in Canada, who might attend an International Parliamentary Union (IPU) meeting in Quebec City this fall. QMI Agency has obtained a letter that Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney have sent to the speakers of the House of Commons and the Senate. “We would also note that Canada is hosting the 127th IPU Assembly in Quebec City from October 21-26, 2012, and that the costs of this event are being borne virtually entirely by Canadian taxpayers,” said Baird and Kenney in the letter. “Should the IPU indicate to you that they are willing to welcome Hamas, we would suggest that Canada decline to host this meeting.” ….”

“Rumour has it Belhassen Trabelsi, the so-called “Godfather” of Tunisia, has left Montreal for Mexico, following in the footsteps of Moammar Gadhafi’s son in search of a country with lax anti-corruption and extradition laws. A newspaper in Tunisia reported two weeks ago that Trabelsi, whose fortune reportedly runs in the billions of dollars, first left Canada for Venezuela hoping for a warmer welcome, before settling on Mexico. There have been no sightings of him since. But rumours may just be rumours – and observers in Montreal believe Trabelsi is still in Canada, a hot potato the federal government probably wishes it could pass on to another country, as the Immigration, Foreign Affairs and Justice departments struggle to figure out what to do with him next ….”  More on the missing Tunisian bad boy here, here and (with the usual Wikipedia caveats) here.

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Afghanistan  More Toronto Star push on the Afghan interpreter trying to get to Canada.  “A Canadian Army commander and a senior diplomat denied a highly praised Afghan combat interpreter a Canadian visa after wrongly accusing him of taking his stalled case to the news media, an internal document shows. The former head of Canada’s elite special forces and our deputy ambassador to Afghanistan turned down Sayed Shah Sharifi’s visa application last fall, just weeks after complaining to the Star. They didn’t believe Sharifi’s claims that the Taliban want to kill him for assisting Canadian combat troops, an essential qualification for a visa under a special federal program. Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced in 2009 that he wanted to protect Afghans who could show “individual risk” because they had worked with Canadians in Kandahar province, the Taliban heartland. Two members of the panel, called a “joint referral committee,” that decided Sharifi’s case are identified on an immigration department form as Col. J.P. Davis of the Canadian Army and Shelley Whiting, Canada’s deputy ambassador in Kabul. They also signed the document, dated Oct. 5, 2011, which tersely declares Sharifi “ineligible.” ….”  Previous pushes via the paper here, here, here and here.

What’s Canada Buying?  For Afghanistan:  security system to let folks into/out of Afghanistan complexes, and IT networks to let allies keep in touch with each other.

No word on whether the CBC reporter in question is willing to share the “obtained” documents.  “A Sea King emergency landing demonstration piloted by Prince William led to positive coverage in the media — for the helicopter. The Canadian Forces were pleased with the positive coverage given to the July 4, 2011 flight, according to documents released under federal Access to Information laws. The second in line to the British throne flew a Sea King over Dalvay Lake, P.E.I., as part of last year’s Royal Tour with his wife, Kate Middleton. The Duke of Cambridge is a Royal Air Force helicopter pilot and known professionally as Flight Lt. William Wales. The couple was well-received across Canada, drawing huge crowds on their nine-day tour. A brief email from the man who co-piloted the CH 124 helicopter notes the flight went “very well.” “Flight was conducted [in accordance with] normal [Waterbird standard operating procedures] and flight profile,” said an email about the flight ….”

“A U.S. Navy diver working from a Canadian ship off the North Carolina coast died during training operations Thursday, Naval Expeditionary Combat Command announced Friday. The diver’s name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. The diver, assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 12, was embarked on HMCS Summerside during preparations to take part in Bold Alligator, a major amphibious training exercise slated to begin Jan. 30. The diver was transported to Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune, N.C., and pronounced dead on arrival, said Lt. Cmdr. John Gay, a command spokesman ….”

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Where do we move those search-and-rescue planes?  (BTW, no sign of the Toronto Star sharing the “obtained” report)  “The military’s response to search-and-rescue calls could be improved by moving aircraft out of Canada’s largest East Coast base, according the air force’s most recent performance analysis. But the study finds little reason for a dedicated Arctic rescue team, despite high-profile disasters last year that led to renewed calls for a more robust northern presence. The report, obtained by the Star under the Access to Information Act, proposes moving two Hercules more than 600 kilometres north from their Nova Scotia home to Stephenville, N.L. The Greenwood, N.S., transport and rescue squadron has been based there since 1968, responsible for distress calls over an almost 5.2 million-square-kilometre area stretching from Quebec City east to the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and from Nova Scotia north to Iqaluit. Using a formula that weighs geographic coverage of Canada with response times to distress calls, the 2011 report says the move could provide a substantial improvement in performance.  An RCAF spokesperson said that the study, along with ongoing plans to purchase new search-and-rescue airplanes when the current fleets are removed from service between 2015 and 2017, will be used to determine the best locations for Canada’s search-and-rescue crews. “This study will be used with many others to inform future decisions on SAR basing,” Maj. Sonia Dumouchel Connock said in an email ….”

Libya  New tyrants, same as the old tyrants?  “The new leaders of Libya, helped to power by an air war waged by Canada and major allies, were denounced as torturers Thursday by major international groups. The Canadian leader of Amnesty International called on the Harper government to use its influence with Libya’s new transitional government to put an end to the abuse of prisoners, documented by the organization in a new report. And Doctors Without Borders said it was suspending its work in Libyan prisons because of rampant torture of detainees. The group said it was pulling out of the city of Misrata because some detainees were brought for care only to make them fit for further interrogation. Amnesty said several detainees have died after being subjected to torture in recent weeks and months, and cited wide-spread, ill-treatment of loyalists of deposed dictator, Moammar Gadhafi ….”

F-35 Tug o’ War (1a)  “U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta confirmed Thursday that $488 billion U.S. in Pentagon budget cuts will affect his country’s plans to purchase the troubled F-35 joint strike fighter — which likely will threaten Canada’s timeline for acquiring the stealth fighter as well ….”

F-35 Tug o’ War (1b)  “The federal government is reviewing Canada’s planned purchase of up to 65 F-35s after U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta confirmed Thursday his country will be slowing production on the troubled stealth fighters. Associate Defence Minister Julian Fantino said in a statement the government is still committed to the F-35 program, but that he had ordered defence department officials in Ottawa to investigate what implications the Pentagon’s decision would have on Canada ….”

F-35 Tug o’ War (1c)  Associate Minister Fantino’s update: “…. We continue to monitor the progress of the multinational Joint Strike Fighter Program closely and exercise responsible stewardship of taxpayers’ hard earned dollars. “That is why I have instructed officials to review the implications of the United States’ announcement on Canadian Forces’ readiness so that they may be incorporated into preparations for the replacement of our aging CF-18 fleet. “Information we have received indicates that the impact on Canada’s procurement plans is minimal at this stage. As has been the case up to the present, we will continue to monitor developments closely ….”

F-35 Tug o’ War (2)  “…. With U.S. defense budget cuts looming and many critics of the program still unconvinced, foreign support is a make-or-break issue for the program, which has been described as too big to fail. It could become the cornerstone of global air strategy for the next few decades, or a trillion-dollar bust. “The U.S. fighter jet industry has all of its eggs in this one basket,” said Richard Bitzinger, a security expert at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University. So many countries have bought into the program, he said, there is now no realistic choice but to forge ahead with it. “It would be almost impossible for the U.S. to cancel the F-35, since the repercussions would be global,” he said ….”

“The manufacturer of the air force’s new maritime helicopter has told National Defence it will deliver only five test aircraft this year — opening the door to tens of millions of dollars in fines on a project the auditor general has said is late and over budget. Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. is supposed to deliver a “fully mission capable” version of the CH-148 Cyclone helicopter by June, or face a further $80 million in contract penalties on top of $8 million the federal government has already levied. Senior defence officials say safety certification of the aircraft is still ongoing and it’s highly unlikely the giant U.S. aircraft-maker will meet its target, even though the program is years behind schedule. “Sikorsky are only committing to deliver five by this year, which will be training aircraft,” said a high-level defence source, who spoke to The Canadian Press on the condition of anonymity. The Cyclones are the highly touted replacement for the CH-124 Sea Kings, which will mark a milestone 50 years in service in 2013 ….”

What’s Canada Buying?  Someone to carry out “analysis and software development in order to prototype a system that makes use of various COTS and OEM software used in mine countermeasures (MCM) operations …. to demonstrate ene-to-end MCM operation with Autonomous Underwater Vehicles …. ” and someone to “…. design and fabricate an underwater magnetic signature collection system which is essentially the array and the associated interface components and connecting cables …. in support of the Halifax Class Modernization Project (to) be used to measure the magnetic signature of Canadian warships when they are deployed on operations around the world ….”

Happy 50th, Canadian Coast Guard, from the PM and the Defence Minister!

“The family of a woman murdered by convicted sex killer Russell Williams is suing the former military commander and his estranged wife. Williams, who was once a rising star in the Canadian Forces, was sentenced to life in prison in October 2010 after pleading guilty to the murders of Jessica Lloyd and Cpl. Marie-France Comeau. Lloyd’s brother, Andy, says he and Lloyd’s mother, Roxanne, have filed a statement of claim in Belleville’s Ontario Superior Court of Justice which, among other details, seeks damages for the mental suffering they say they’ve had to endure. Andy Lloyd, 31, says the family wants a fast resolution to the suit so that they can put the experience behind them and move on with their lives. He says the last two years have been “quite a struggle” and both he and his mother are seeing counsellors for the depression they’ve had to deal with ….”  More on this here.

“Five years after Prime Minister Stephen Harper made a historic apology to Chinese Canadians, a new photo exhibition opened today in Vancouver honouring the history of World War II veterans of Chinese heritage. Nearly 100 people packed into the exhibit launch of the multi-room archive of photographs, anecdotes and documents – titled Chinese Canadian Veterans: Loyalty to Country – today at the Chinese Cultural Centre. Roughly a quarter were veterans themselves, many of whom guided visitors around the exhibit and shared their stories of both heroism and discrimination ….”

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Afghanistan (1)  A more complete explanation of a YouTube video that isn’t what some nut job says it is.

Afghanistan (2)  A Canadian officer on why it’s important that Afghan troops being trained need to be able to read and write, even just a bit.  “…. Imagine what happens when a soldier who cannot read or count gets an order to collect 20 boxes of ammunition from a truck with the plate number AB55519Q. Unable to recognize letters and numbers, the bewildered soldier would not be able to complete this basic task. Barely 15 percent of ANA recruits can read or write at Grade One level. By the time they have completed eight weeks of BWT, nearly 90 percent have learned to read and write at that basic level. This may not seem like a great achievement by Canadian standards but, considering where these soldiers begin, it is significant. Literacy training is also a recruiting tool, attracting Afghans who want an education that is not readily available outside the Army ….”

Afghanistan (3)  The story behind one of the medals being awarded at the G-G’s place today – well done all!

Afghanistan (4)  Orchestral music (and words) to honour the Afghan mission. “It’s the Calgary Philharmonic’s biggest commission so far: a war requiem aimed at capturing some of the drama, heartbreak and profound loss that is the Canadian battle for peace in one of the most wartorn areas in the world. When completed, the hour-long piece, provisionally entitled Afghanistan: Requiem for a Generation, will embrace the combined musical forces of the orchestra, the CPO Chorus, the Cantare Children’s Choir and four soloists. It’s set to debut Nov. 10 …. The words of inspiration for Ryan’s music come from poems, diary entries and blogs written by established Vancouver writer Suzanne Steele, one of five Canadian artists — and the first poet — to be chosen as an official “war artist” in the Canadian Forces Artist Program ….”

MORE Canadian sanctions against Syria!

Naval Espionage Case  Ya think?!?  “Expert: Spy case worries military”

One former officer’s opinion:  “…. Canada’s regular army is currently too small to carry out assigned domestic and overseas tasks. Not to have any mobilization capability to expand it in time of crisis or emergency would thus be strategic folly …. The history of increasing army reserve strength has also been marked by foot-dragging. The current government must now recognize that regular forces are too small to achieve its domestic and international goals and embrace the concept of a strategic reserve as the only affordable option.”

More on Canada-U.S. co-operation deals:  “Canada and the U.S. have finalized one agreement and renewed another to better co-ordinate civilian and military forces against threats. Defence Minister Peter MacKay, speaking Tuesday night to a group of defence officials, diplomats and civil servants, said the two countries were expected Wednesday to renew the Civil Assistance Plan and sign off on the Combined Defence Plan. His office confirmed Wednesday they had been signed. The civil assistance agreement lets military personnel and equipment deploy rapidly to humanitarian events, MacKay said in notes prepared for his speech to the Permanent Joint Board on Defence. “In the event of floods, forest fires, hurricanes, earthquakes, or to assist in the aftermath of a terrorist attack — military members from one nation will be ready to support the armed forces of the other, all supporting lead civilian agencies,” he said. The defence agreement sets out the authority and means for the two countries to approve homeland military operations against threats, as well as the process for sharing information ….”  More here.

Way Up North  “Firefighters at Canadian Forces Station Alert in the Arctic are anxiously awaiting a special delivery. On Tuesday, Jan. 31, Sgt. Steve Lewington — the fire chief there until Feb. 15 — will receive the first of three brand new KME Force air-deployable crash trucks (or aircraft rescue fire fighting trucks) being delivered aboard either a C-130J Hercules or C-17 Globemaster to the Arctic station to replace the current Oshkosh T-1000 trucks that were delivered to the northern military station in March 2010 ….”

What’s Canada Buying?  Someone to provide “remediation activities at the FOX-E Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line Site on Durban  Island and the former US Coast Guard Weather Station on Padloping Island, Nunavut.”  Previous MERX listing (July 2011) here.

F-35 Tug o’ War  F-35 sales team shares small-town paper’s coverage of all the benefits of the program.

orem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Duis venenatis nunc sapien, eu consectetur urna. Fusce tortor lorem, convallis a condimentum nec; porta feugiat risus. Nam quis ante urna. Vestibulum ac arcu massa. Sed dignissim.

Former African AQ prisoner Robert Fowler speaks to the BBC (.mp3, first 10 minutes) about being held hostage for about five months.  Fowler on his kidnappers/AQ:  “It’s all about religion.  I think among ‘securocrats’, there’s somewhat of a debate about whether these guys are bandits flying an Islamic flag of convenience or rather, they are some kind of twisted, latter-day Robin Hoods doing a little banditry and kidnapping to fund their jihad.  I think a lot of people would like to believe it’s the former, but I know it’s the second.”

Minister MacKay:  Way to go CF blood donors!

“On a spring day in the hills near Valencia, Jules Paivio stood before a firing squad. The young Canadian was a long way from home, the woods of Northern Ontario, but he was ready to meet death. He had known when he volunteered to fight in the Spanish Civil War, in the fall of 1936, that he probably wouldn’t return alive. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder, Mr. Paivio and several fellow prisoners raised their fists in a show of defiance. But a sudden stroke of luck saved his life. In fact, Mr. Paivio came out of the war unscathed. Today, he is the last surviving Canadian brigadista – one of the men and women who came from around the world to defend Spain’s fledgling republic from the fascism of General Francisco Franco. More than 1,500 Canadians joined these International Brigades, but for decades they received little recognition. They had fought in a conflict in which their government took no part, and most were committed socialists, viewed with suspicion during the Cold War. Even today, their contributions to one of the 20th century’s great battles against tyranny is often overlooked here. But Spain has not forgotten. On Thursday, it will honour Mr. Paivio by granting him citizenship at a ceremony in Toronto ….”  More on the man here and here, with a bit of a documentary on him here.

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Naval Espionage Case  Another “routine posting change” for another Soviet military-diplomatic official in Ottawa.

Fixing an oopsie.  “Work is proceeding on the submarine HMCS Corner Brook after some highly visible manoeuvring last week to get it positioned for repair. The vessel, one of the Royal Canadian Navy’s four Victoria-class submarines, was damaged last June when it hit bottom during a training session off Nootka Sound, B.C. The results of a naval inquiry, released last month, said the incident was caused by human error. Lack of training and experience were cited as factors. Capt. Luc Cassivi, deputy commander of Canadian Fleet Pacific, said moving the submarine was a necessary step to allow an overview of engineering requirements and cost estimates related to its repair. “We needed to get her high and dry to be able to make all of those assessments.” ….”

Canada’s Defence Minister talks to people about the Canada-U.S. relationship. “The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, will today deliver a keynote address in Ottawa to members of the Permanent Joint Board on Defence (PJBD), the highest-level bilateral defence and security forum between the United States and Canada. Addressing an audience of prominent senior military officers, government officials and diplomats, Minister MacKay will speak about the importance of the PJBD forum for Canada’s defence relations with the United States. This unique forum, created in 1940, has examined virtually every important joint defence measure undertaken since the end of the Second World War. Today, it continues to serve as a strategic-level consultative body on matters affecting the defence and security of the northern half of the Western Hemisphere ….”  More on Canada-U.S. military links here, and more from the media here.

“Canada and the U.S. are set to finalize a new Combined Defence Plan on Wednesday to defend North America from outside threats. Defence Minister Peter MacKay delivered the news Tuesday evening to a high-level meeting of Canadian and American military officials behind closed doors in Ottawa. “This agreement provides a framework for the combined defence of Canada and the U.S. during peace, contingencies, and war,” said MacKay in his prepared remarks to the Permanent Joint Board on Defence. “The plan describes the authorities and means by which the two governments would approve homeland military operations in the event of a mutually agreed threat, and how our two militaries would collaborate and share information.” ….”  More on this here.

Speaking of the U.S., some say it’s time for allies of the Americans to step up – and some doubt this’ll happen.

Governor General giving out military awards at Rideau Hall tomorrow – congrats to all recipients!

“The Canadian Paralympic Committee is looking forward to an exciting week as Canada is hosting a group of 16 ill and injured military personnel from across Canada and Great Britain together in British Columbia to take part in a pioneering winter multi-sport introduction program. The program has been created for ill and injured military personnel from the organizations Battle Back in the UK and Soldier On in Canada. Eight Canadian and eight British service personnel arrived in Whistler, B.C. on Sunday and are participating in an eight-day program that introduces them to a range of adaptive winter sports and recreational activities ….”

Again with the Canadian Officer Training Corps in universities?  “The time is right to re-establish the Canadian Officers Training Corps program at universities, according to defence experts. Lee Windsor, deputy director of the Gregg Centre for the Study of War and Society at the University of New Brunswick, said the program came across with good benefits for a comparatively small investment …. The Conference of Defence Associations (CDA) recently commended the Senate standing committee on national security and defence for its interim report on the future role of Canada’s Primary Reserve. It recommended the Department of National Defence/Canadian Forces consider re-establishing a military presence on the campuses of educational institutions …. Defence Minister Peter MacKay’s director of communications, Jay Paxton, said the Canadian Forces maintain a presence at Canadian universities similar to that provided by the cadet officer training corps in forms more suitable to today’s environment. One plan allows local reserve units to engage full-time university students as officers in the primary reserve, he said. “During the academic year, these officers parade or train with their units and, in summer, they undertake full-time military training and employment,” Paxton said. “Another plan, called the regular officer training plan, is designed to support officer cadets at university. Under this plan, officer cadets train in the summer, study during the school year and, upon graduation, transfer to the regular force.” ….”

Royal Military College professor:  peacekeeping is really counterinsurgency.  “…. A Canadian professor who teaches a course on peace missions at the Canadian Forces College in Toronto, (Walter) Dorn is the author of Keeping Watch: Monitoring, Technology & Innovation in UN Peace Operations.  Dorn intends with his new book to make UN peacekeeping operations “more effective”, in terms of offering security for civilian populations facing warring factions or humanitarian disasters in a country like the Congo. For instance, the modestly sized UN force of 22,000 uniformed personnel in the DRC “has been a very important stabilising force”, Dorn says. But he adds the UN soldiers’ failure to a stop a 2008 massacre of at least 150 civilians in the eastern Congo village of Kiwanja despite the presence of peacekeepers a kilometre away stems from a still existing failure by the contributors of United Nations soldiers to take full advantage of affordable surveillance and communication technology for ground operations. “In many of the developing countries where the majority of peacekeepers are today, they don’t have a familiarity with the technology,” Dorn adds. A Canadian military historian at the Royal Military College in Canada in the city of Kingston, Ontario, counters that UN military missions are really counterinsurgency operations. “In the Congo, the UN is not exactly neutral, going after militias on behalf of the government,” says Sean Maloney, a professor at the Royal Military College in Kingston Ontario ….”

Russell Williams Saga (1)  “The wife of serial sex killer Russell Williams lost an appeal Tuesday to keep private personal information related to her divorce proceedings. The Ontario Court of Appeal overturned a number of non-publication and sealing orders issued by Ontario Superior Court Justice Jennifer Mackinnon relating to a divorce application to be filed by Williams’s wife. The sealing order and publication bans prevented the reporting of her name, address, contact information, the name of her employer, her income and expenses, medical information and her domestic contract with Williams. The judge also forbade publication of a photograph or likeness of Williams’s wife, who can only be identified as M.E.H. in relation to the case, and sealed a contentious domestic contract executed weeks after Williams was charged ….”

Russell Williams Saga (2)  “The estranged wife of convicted sex killer Russell Williams plans to fight a decision by Ontario’s top court that would open up her divorce proceedings to public scrutiny. Mary Jane Binks, the Ottawa lawyer representing Williams’ wife, said her client will ask to take the matter to the country’s highest court. “We’re going to be seeking leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada,” Binks told The Canadian Press ….”

“An Ottawa man serving a life sentence for terrorism has been attacked in prison in Quebec. Momin Khawaja’s father confirmed reports that his son was scalded with hot water and further assaulted by a fellow inmate. Khawaja received burns to 60 to 70 per cent of his body. The attack took place at the federal Special Handling Unit, the super-maximum-security prison in Ste-Anne-des-Plaines, Que., the Ottawa Citizen reported. It happened Jan. 16 as inmates were preparing snacks before returning to their cells for the night. Khawaja’s father Mahboob told CBC News that his son told him his attacker was Zakaria Amara, another inmate convicted of terrorism in the plot to set off three bombs in Toronto. An Ottawa software developer and the first person ever charged under Canada’s anti-terror laws, Khawaja was found guilty of five charges of financing and facilitating terrorism and two Criminal Code offences related to building a remote-control device that could trigger bombs ….”

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Naval Espionage Case (1)  “A Canadian navy intelligence officer charged with giving military secrets to the Russian government is on the hunt for a new lawyer. Cameron MacKeen withdrew as Sub-Lt. Jeffrey Paul Delisle’s legal counsel Monday afternoon in Halifax provincial court. Delisle, 40, was not in the courtroom for the lawyer’s application, which was a last-minute addition to the docket. A bail hearing had been slated for Wednesday, but MacKeen told the court that Delisle wished to have it rescheduled for six to eight weeks from now. Federal Crown attorney Peter Chisholm objected to the matter being discussed without the accused in attendance, so the judge ordered a recess to see if Delisle could appear by video or telephone from the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in Dartmouth. An hour later, correctional officials permitted Delisle to phone the courtroom. After talking to MacKeen in private for a few minutes, Delisle took part in the hearing by speakerphone. MacKeen asked that the case be adjourned until Feb. 28 for the setting of a date for a bail hearing. The judge obliged after confirming with Delisle that he could hear things clearly and understood what was going on ….”  More here.

Naval Espionage Case (2)  Only makes sense, right?  “The Canadian military has evacuated staff from the Halifax naval intelligence facility where a sailor accused of espionage was working before his arrest. The Department of National Defence said authorities are conducting a security sweep of HMCS Trinity to see whether this confidential communication centre has been compromised ….”  More here.

Afghanistan  Knob on YouTube claims Canadians blow up Afghan house “for fun”, Globe & Mail shares minimalist denial from CF.

Way Up North  On the road.  “Hundreds of military vehicles and personnel are beginning a three-day trek from CFB Edmonton to Yellowknife to test themselves and their gear in a harsh winter environment …. The training exercise called ARCTIC RAM 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group’s first to be conducted in the Northwest Territories. Exercise ARCTIC RAM, from Feb. 14 to 26, will re-familiarize soldiers with northern operations by assessing their ability to operate in a cold winter climate ….”

“The Harper government has wanted the navy to play a bigger role in battling Somali pirates in the waters off East Africa, but has been stymied about what to do with potential prisoners, documents reveal. The international effort to contain the pirating of commercial shipping in the Gulf of Aden and beyond is something Canada “strongly supports” and it provides the perfect, low-risk venue for the country to showcase its military ability. A series of briefing notes, obtained by The Canadian Press under Access to Information from Defence Minister Peter MacKay’s office and the chief of maritime staff, show the eagerness over the last two years to take on a renewed mission. But the enthusiasm is tempered by the reality that once caught, there’s no place to try pirates. “While international law provides that any state may take jurisdiction over piracy in international water, counter-piracy efforts off the coast of Somalia continue to be hampered by a lack of authority in domestic laws, as well as by questions concerning jurisdiction over apprehended individuals suspected of piracy and related crimes,” said Nov. 3, 2010 memo to Robert Fonberg, the deputy defence minister ….”

A reminder: The Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and Canada’s constitution, guarantees the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty.  More charges laid against medic.  “The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service (CFNIS) charged on Friday a former Canadian Forces Medical Technician for incidents alleged to have occurred while he performed medical exams at a Naval Reserve unit in Thunder Bay and at the Canadian Forces Recruiting Centre in London. Ex-Petty Officer, 2nd class (PO 2) James Wilks was charged with the following: four counts of Sexual Assault, contrary to section 130 of the National Defence Act, and pursuant to section 271 of the Criminal Code; and ten counts of Breach of Trust, contrary to section 130 of the National Defence Act, and contrary to section 122 of the Criminal Code ….”  More here and here.

“The Chief of the Defence Staff, General Walt Natynczyk, joined his NATO counterparts for the 166th meeting of NATO’s Chiefs of Defence in Brussels, Belgium, last week. Immediately following the two days of NATO meetings and presentations he travelled to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg where he met with Mr. Jean-Marie Halsdorf, the country’s Minister of Defence and Minister for Home Affairs and the Greater Region, as well as General Gaston Reinig, its Chief of Defence ….”

How one Canadian company’s faring. “Despite defence contractors’ fear that military budget cuts worldwide will sideswipe them, CAE Inc. appears to be holding its own so far. In fact, the St. Laurent flight-simulator and training services firm has announced three military orders since September valued at $325 million, including another one Wednesday for $100 million. The latter is to provide upgrades for simulators for Canadian Forces CC-130H, a military transport aircraft, and for the CH-146 (Griffon) helicopters; long-term simulator maintenance and support services for Malaysia’s AgustaWestland 139 choppers; maintenance trainers for Tornado attack jets for the German Air Force and Britain’s Royal Air Force; and CAE 3000 Series helicopter simulator and training services for undisclosed customers. CAE spokesperson Nathalie Bourque said that “armed forces are recognizing that we save them a lot of money on wear and tear. Training on a simulator is 10 times less expensive than training on an actual aircraft. So we are part of the solution to their problems.” Michael Willemse of Toronto brokerage CIBC World Markets agreed with that, adding that “simulation actually helps the military cut costs – it’s much cheaper.” He said that CAE usually generates about $250 million of orders per quarter on the military side. CAE’s $1.63 billion in sales last year were roughly divided equally between military and civil products and services ….”

“Léon Mugesera, the long-time Quebec City resident accused of genocide in Rwanda, is expected to land in Kigali late on Tuesday, according to Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Co-operation Louise Mushikiwabo. Mugesera lost his final bid to avoid deportation on Monday when the Federal Court dismissed a motion for a stay of deportation, and by late afternoon, he was put on a plane headed for Rwanda’s capital city. “Léon Mugesera is now airbound for Kigali!” Mushikiwabo tweeted late Monday night, Kigali time. “Thank ordinary people in Canada who saw through confusion in [the] international legal labyrinth and said, ‘he must go.’” ….”  More here, here and here.

“Chatter broke out as Kimberly Fawcett and Kathy Chase greeted each other in a crowded downtown restaurant Saturday. The women, both Canadian Forces soldiers, have a rare bond. Fawcett, 43, is a captain stationed in Ottawa and an accomplished tri-athlete and sprinter. Almost six years ago, Fawcett was preparing to leave for Afghanistan when tragedy struck. Stationed at CFB Kingston at the time, she was taking her infant son, Keiran, to a relative’s home in the city on Feb. 21, 2006. An accident on the icy road ahead of her forced her to a stop. Fearing another collision, Fawcett got out her vehicle with her son and climbed an embankment near the road. Moments later, a driver lost control of his vehicle and struck the pair, killing baby Keiran and forcing the amputation of her right leg up to the hip. Using physical sport to deal with the grief and stress in the aftermath, she soon excelled as a world-class parathlete …. The pair, along with eight others, are set to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in February in support of the ParAthletes of Canada Foundation, which supports athletes, including those who have had a limb amputated, who are in need of an assistive device to enable them to participate fully in competitive sport ….”

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Naval Espionage Case (1)  One should be careful about linking events that may have already been underway to stuff one knows about now.  “An unfolding spy drama involving a junior Canadian officer comes amid a determined effort by the Royal Canadian Navy to improve and expand its own intelligence capacity. Over the last two years, military planners working for the head of the navy have been drawing a “road map” in order to provide decision-makers and warships at sea with better information on possible threats to domestic waters and among international shipping lanes, a series of internal documents reveal. The strategy was widely circulated among senior echelons of the navy in 2010, according to a briefing list obtained by The Canadian Press under access to information laws. It could prove to be an intelligence bonanza in the wrong hands, providing insight into how Canadians gather their information. Neither the Harper government, nor National Defence will say whether Sub-Lt. Jeffery Delisle had access to the strategy — or early drafts of it. Just what a potential spy might have been after and for whom has been the subject of frenzied speculation. Officials have refused to discuss any and all aspects of the case ….”  1)  Correlation =/= causality  2)  If the strategy had any REAL secrets in it, it wouldn’t have been released under Access to Information legislation.  3)  No sign of CP sharing the “obtained” documents yet.

Naval Espionage Case (2)  More on one of the non-expelled Russians, including something from someone who attended his going away party, and the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Twitter statement on the issue:  “Canadian media reports of Russian diplomats being expelled from #Canada are surprising, as they left in 2011 on completing their secondment”

Naval Espionage Case (3)  Now some media are speculating about where the accused MIGHT have been?

What Canada’s up to with the U.N. in Sudan – more on Canada’s Operation Soprano here.  Also, check out the second photo in the article in the first link.  Is “Major Ed Smith” the same guy who helped out some intern students in Cameroon during some unpleasantness there a few years ago?  A repeated “well done” on that.

Way Up North  Northern Ontario troops get ready for working in the even-further north.  “As if January in Northwestern Ontario isn’t cold enough, two reserve soldiers with Kenora’s 116th Independent Field Battery have volunteered for Arctic Ram; a joint winter combat operations exercise taking place northwest of Yellowknife from Feb. 17 to 27. Bombardier Kyle Friesen and Bombardier Brandon Thompson prepared for the deployment by taking part in the Winter Warfare training course in Kenora this week. The course attracted 16 participants who practised with snowshoes and equipment sleds. Their training continues at CFB Shilo in Manitoba this weekend where they will earn their military snowmobile operators certification ….”

Taliban Propaganda Watch  How the Taliban Info-machine takes a wacky story about ISAF troops in diapers from the Pakistani media and helps spread the (incorrect) word.

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